I so appreciated when I was young, and I still do, books about girls who don't fit in because their interests are so diametrically opposed to those of their peers (which is one big reason why I'm going to BEA next week--to see some of my book peeps!). The Visconti House offers a stellar example of such a girl--Laura, a girl who's working on a detailed encyclopedia of dragons, who has eccentric parents (her father wakes her up by quoting Longfellow, much to her annoyance) and who lives in an old and crumbling Italianate mansion (not your ordinary Australian house).
Then add to that a new boy in town, Leon, who is also a loner (but who, of course, proves to be more intelligent, and much more fun to be with, than the other kids). And then, as the pièce de résistance, add an old house with secrets, and an overgrown garden, and fading murals painted on its walls, and a hidden cellar room....And then, as icing on the cake, add a detective story, (involving trips to the library for historical research! and a visit to an old cemetery! I am utterly sincere in my excitement here), as the two kids try to figure out the story of Mr. Visconti, who tried to make his house as much like a beautiful little bit of Italy as he could, but who lived and died there alone. His is a sweetly melancholy story, and it echoes the theme of the book--that difference is not something to be afraid of, and that convention should not get in the way of life and love.
Happy sigh.
It's listed on Amazon as YA, but I think it is beautifully, squarely, and solidly best for the 6th or 7th grade girl who is off to the side of the mainstream middle-school currents.
Thanks for sharing, Charlotte. This sounds great!
ReplyDeleteGuess I'll have to find an hour somewhere to sit down and read this. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOoohh...want very much now. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hope you all try it and like it!
ReplyDeleteGah... I must track this one down. I like books that are "happy."
ReplyDeleteI just read this myself, and loved it for the same reasons you did. Also want to make some of the echidna rolls!
ReplyDeleteI think if I tried to make echidna rolls they'd look more like mutant blobs. But they sound so charming!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it too, Rina!
This sounds delightful. I'll have to find a copy of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charlotte!Will be sure to get this for our collection!
ReplyDeleteRead it today. Loved it. Thanks for another great recommendation!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad, Ruth! Thanks for letting me know.
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